Connecticut Recruiting, Georgetown Recruiting, Jeff Borzello, Providence Recruiting, Syracuse Recruiting

ALEX MURPHY COLLECTING OFFERS, ISAIAH SYKES HAS LEADER

BY JEFF BORZELLO

Alex Murphy has a lot of things going for him. The 2012 prospect is the younger brother of Florida freshman, Erik, and has been on the nation’s radar for a couple of years already. He is a versatile forward who is still growing into his skill set, and is a top-three player in a loaded New England class.

As a result, it’s no surprise that he has more than a dozen offers at this point, and even more interest coming his way from national powers.

Murphy told NBE Basketball Report on Wednesday that he has offers from Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Georgetown, Indiana, Michigan, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Connecticut, Boston College, Providence, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. He also said that he has interest from North Carolina, Duke, Texas and Kentucky.

Murphy has visited Connecticut, Providence and Florida, and plans on checking out another prospective school this weekend.

“I’m actually going to check out Georgia Tech down in Atlanta this week cause my high school team is playing in a tournament down there this weekend,” Murphy said.

Although Murphy has no favorites in terms of schools or conferences, he has an idea of what he is looking for when he makes his decision.

“Obviously academics are number one,” he said. “Next is the relationship with the coach and the ‘family’ atmosphere. Style of play and where I would see myself helping the team, too.”

With his brother already at Florida, many think that the Gators could be one of the favorites land his services.

However, Murphy says that is not the case – he is wide-open despite the family connection.

“Eh, not really,” he said when asked if Erik’s location have an impact on his decision.. “He’s helping me with the whole recruiting process and he’s always here to talk to if I have questions. So he’s been a big part of the process for me, but because he’s at Florida doesn’t have any effect on where I’ll end up.”

The 6-foot-7 Murphy still has plenty of room to grow and develop, as he needs to refine his game and also mature physically. Luckily, he still has three years before he heads to college.

More importantly, Murphy is not going to rest on his laurels – he knows he needs to get better, and is willing to work.

“[I need to work the most on] my strength,” he said. “Speed and quickness, too. But also everything else.

You gotta keep working on all aspects of your game if you want to be the best player you can be.”
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Sykes has a favorite

2010 forward Isaiah Sykes is an interesting case study.

He is only rated as a two-star prospect by Scout.com, and a three-star player by Rivals. However, Sykes has five offers on the table, including ones from some of the top programs in the country.

Right now, Sykes claims offers from Michigan, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Syracuse and Temple, he told NBE Basketball Report on Tuesday.

He also has other schools showing interest, but could not name all of them.

The Detroit native has taken only two visits, to Tennessee and Michigan.

“I’ve gotta visit the rest,” Sykes said, although he did mention that both schools he saw have great programs.

For now, though, one school stands out.

“I like Tennessee a lot,” he said. “They’re my favorite.”

Don’t count out the lone Big East program in the group, though, as he is still strongly considering Syracuse.

“[I like] their style of play, great coaches and the history they have,” Sykes said.

Although he does not have a timetable for his decision, he did say that he is looking closely at style of play and coaching, and will likely pick a school after the season.

It will be interesting to see which is closer to Sykes’ true rating: the high-major coaches offering him or the scouting services potentially underrating him.

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